Reykjavík To End Relationship With Moscow

A proposal has been submitted on behalf of Mayor Jón Gnarr to end Reykjavík’s partnership with Moscow, on account of the Russian capital’s stance on gay rights. The proposal was put forth during a City Council meeting yesterday, Vísir reports. Should the proposal pass it would effectively terminate all political and cultural relations between Reykjavík and Moscow. “In light of the developments that have taken place in recent years in matters of gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Russia, the Human Rights Office and the Mayor’s Office have entrusted the deputy mayor to propose amendments to the existing agreement between the two cities or terminate it all together following consultation with the Foreign Ministry,” read the minutes from the City Council meeting. In 2007 Reykjavík and Moscow became sister cities, an agreement that would see the municipalities exchanging information, and cooperate on policies regarding youth and family. The termination of the relationship between Reykjavík and Moscow, while a big step that will require oversight by the Foreign Ministry, is a long time coming. Last August Jón Gnarr wrote a formal letter to his contemporaries in Moscow urging them to reconsider the city’s banning of Moscow’s gay pride parade.